Nimagondu Sihi Suddi movie review: Raghu Bhat’s comedy is a bland tale as old as time

Nimagondu Sihi Suddi movie story: Arjun Hebbar (Raghu Bhat) has a nightmare, or so he thinks, in which he is experiencing severe abdominal pain and is then rushed to hospital. As he drifts in and out of consciousness, he remembers being congratulated on the birth of his baby. When he then wakes up, Arjun dismisses it as a bizarre dream, until he hears a wailing baby in his house. But what’s even more troublesome is the scar on his abdomen that looks like the tell-tale sign of a C-section delivery.

Nimagondu Sihi Suddi movie review: When the first images of actor-director Raghu Bhat’s film, Nimagondu Sihi Suddi came out, the initial impression was that it was likely inspired by the 1994 comedy Junior, starring Arnold Schwarznegger. Turns out, Raghu also went looking for inspiration in a different direction and found it in an even older film, Three Men and a Baby, which has seen Indian adaptations like Thoovanathumbikal in Malayalam and the more flamboyant Hindi version, Heyy Babyy.

Raghu’s character Arjun’s Casanova lifestyle and aversion towards a committed relationship is a done to death trope, to which he throws in the baby twist. No prizes for guessing whose baby it is. The film is meant to be a comedy, but the humour’s rather flat and the narrative is predictive, with pretty much nothing exciting to look forward to.

Also read: Nimagondu Sihi Suddi out on OTT: Comedy about a ‘pregnant’ man is now available to stream 

Arjun’s acceptance of the events, including the unethical ‘treatment’ he underwent to make him believe he was pregnant, and his willingness to turn over a new leaf and be the best dad ever are a little too convenient. For someone, who preferred the carefree unattached lifestyle, Arjun sure hasn’t heard of ‘protection’ either.

The characters played by Kavya Shetty, Sujay Shastry, Prajwal and Harini Shreekanth, have not been fleshed out, while Vijay Raghavendra’s cameo also lacks gravitas. In an attempt to cook up a quirky tale, all that Raghu manages is bland and stale.

Nimagondu Sihi Suddi movie verdict: The core idea of Raghu Bhat’s film was novel several decades ago. Even if the objective was to target an audience that’s never heard of or seen the material it is based on, Raghu’s failed at putting together an engaging narrative.